Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Malindidzimu: View of the World

I was wrong. Fantastically wrong. The moment I climbed up "View of the World" and looked out here:

I knew why it was called View of the World.

When Cecil Rhodes (of the Rhodes Scholarship, of Rhodesia fame, of the diamonds in South Africa...)
climbed the hill, he instantly decided this was to be his burial place

Rhodes was buried at World's View in 1902 after dying in Cape Town.

Rhodes's grave.

His burial place is controversial as the hill, or Malindidzimu ("Place of Benevolent Spirits"), is a sacred place for the Ndebele people.
Rhodes happened upon it while responding to a Ndebele uprising.

As Rhodes's founding of Rhodesia (the predecessor to Zimbabwe) trampled on most of the rights of the Ndebele,
it is understanding why his burial and that of several other individuals who helped Rhodes at such a sacred spot is controversial.

The hill is covered in several different colors of lichen which creates such an unique and amazing kaleidoscope.

Malindidzimu just absolutely takes your breath away. It is very easy to understand how such a spot can be sacred.

The hill also contains this monument with the remains of 33 men, led by Captain Allan Wilson, who pursued Ndebele chief Lobengula

out of his territory in 1893 but were routed in what some Ndebele consider their biggest victory.